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The name "Fresh Meadows" dates back to before the American Revolution. Fresh Meadows was part of the Town of Flushing, which had large areas of salt meadows, such as the original "Flushing Meadows". The wetlands in the hilly ground south and east of the village of Flushing, however, were fed by freshwater springs, and thus were "fresh meadows". Fresh Meadows Road (which today follows the same route under a number of names, including Fresh Meadows Lane and part of Utopia Parkway) traversed the area, and served as the route from the landing place at Whitestone to the village of Jamaica.

During the American Revolution, British troops were encamped in the area. General Benedict Arnold drilled his troops in the area, on the current location of M.S. 216. To facilitate the transport of military supplies from British ships using the Whitestone Landing and the troops encamped further east, a new road was built to connect the Fresh Meadows Road with Hempstead. This road began at what is now the intersection of Utopia Parkway and 73rd AVenue, near a local landmark along the Fresh Meadows Road: the remnants of a large tree that had burned after being struck by lightning, and that was known as the "Black Stump". The road took its name from this feature, and was called "Black Stump Road."[3][4][5] During the 19th century, a farming community known as Black Stump developed in the area. Black Stump School was located at present-day Utopia Playground, at 73rd Avenue and Utopia Parkway.[6] For several years, the woods of Black Stump were rumored to be haunted because people heard strange sounds coming from the woods.[7] In 1908, the mysterious sounds were discovered to be coming from a recluse who lived in a small hut and sang Irish folk songs at night.[7]

In February 1946, the land was sold to New York Life Insurance Company,[13] and it became the Fresh Meadows Housing Development.[14] New York Life Insurance Company did not allow black individuals to live in the Fresh Meadows Housing Development.[15] It was also built to house local World War II veterans. The complex and its eponymous shopping center were among the first in the United States designed primarily to accommodate automobile rather than pedestrian traffic.[16] In 1949, Lewis Mumford described the Fresh Meadows housing complex as "perhaps the most positive and exhilarating example of large-scale community planning in this country."

Until 2004, the neighborhood was home to Klein Farm, the last surviving commercial farm in New York City, located on 73rd Avenue between 194th and 195th Streets.[17] Efforts by local residents and civic officials are currently under way to reopen the farm.[18]

In October 2011, a book written by Fred Cantor and Debra Davidson that chronicled the history of Fresh Meadows was released.[19]

Fresh Meadows is home to an estimated population of 13,286. Its residents have a median income of $75,123, and the neighborhood has a cost of living at approximately twice the national average.[1] According to recent census data, 44 percent of its 16,100 residents are white, 30 percent Asian, 14 percent black, 8 percent Hispanic and 3 percent describe themselves as multiracial. [21] The neighborhood has historically and traditionally been home to one of New York City's most thriving Jewish communities, with the Jewish population at one time making up as many as 90% of all people who live in Fresh Meadows. Today, there is an increasing presence of younger Asian American families, Israelis, and Bukharian Jews living in the neighborhood.[22]

Hillcrest is in southern Fresh Meadows.[23] Its name derives from its location on the hills between Jamaica and Flushing. The neighborhood runs from Union Turnpike to the LI Expressway, between Utopia Parkway and 164th Street. Union Turnpike is its main commercial strip. It is part of Queens Community Board 8. The ZIP Codes for the neighborhood are 11365 and 11366. It neighbors are Jamaica Hills and Jamaica Estates to the south, Briarwood and Kew Gardens Hills to the west, and Pomonok, Utopia, and FreshMeadows to the north and east. It is mostly made up of single-family homes, is in a relatively well-off public school districts, and has a low crime rate according to the NYPD 107th Pct.

As with many neighborhoods in the city, the perception of boundaries is quite different from what ever official or unofficial maps exist, especially in Queens, where there were many towns and villages. Most folks in the northeastern part of Hillcrest self-identify as being in Fresh Meadows, as does everyone living in the nearby "Utopia" area. Others tend to identify with neighborhoods that surround them. There is a small group in the center of the Hillcrest area that identify exclusively with it. Hillcrest is home to an Orthodox Jewish community.

Utopia, a middle classneighborhood, is in western Fresh Meadows, bordered by Utopia Parkway to the west, 188th Street to the east, Union Turnpike to the south, and 73rd Avenue to the north. It adjoins the neighborhoods of Jamaica Estates, Hillcrest, and Fresh Meadows. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 8.[24] ZIP code is 11366. Utopia is a predominantly middle-class neighborhood. It contains a large group of Conservative and Orthodox Jews as well as groups of Chinese, Korean, Russian, Indian, and Hispanic people. Utopia is a mostly suburban-like neighborhood with tree-lined streets.[citation needed]

In 1905, the Utopia Land Company purchased 50 acres of farmland "between the communities of Jamaica and Flushing". The group intended to build a cooperative community for Jewish families interested in moving away from the Lower East Side of Manhattan. After the initial acquisition, the company was unable to secure enough funding to further develop the area, however. Thirty-five years later, the Gross-Morton Park Corporation of nearby Jamaica began to develop the area, which had remained farmland since the original purchase.[25]

^ ab"本校の歩み." The Japanese School of New York. Retrieved on January 10, 2012. "1975.9.2. Jamaica Queensにて「ニューヨーク日本人学校」開校。" and "1980.12.22 Queens Ｆlushing校に移転。" and "1991.8.18. Westchester Yonkers校へ移転。"

^"LI校" (Archive). Japanese Weekend School of New York. Retrieved on July 8, 2013.

^Matsuda, Akiko. "Learning their mother tongue." The Journal News. August 16, 2006. p. A1. Retrieved on July 8, 2013. "Atsushi Kaizuka, assistant principal of the Japanese Weekend School of New York, which serves about 800 Japanese or Japanese American students at its Westchester and Long Island schools, said Matthews' attempt seemed to be an uphill battle. "